DVD
REVIEW: PIXAR SHORT FILMS VOL 1
11/03/07
In 1984, Lucas film created
an animated short the broke new ground in computer
animation. The adventures of Andre and Wally B. introduced
many never before seen techniques. Watching the short now,
however and it looks pretty crude, and it’s easy to see how
the field of computer animation has so quickly advanced
Showcasing its history
Pixar has finally put together a collection of their short
films. The collection includes 13 shorts order by year
starting with 1984’s The Adventure of Andre and Wally B.
The Adventure of Andre and Wally B(1984) - In this
short after Andre wakes up from a nap, Wally B, a Bee, flies
up to his nose and hits it. A chase ensues with the tune the
Flight of the Bumblebee in the background. This one is cute,
but wasn’t able to get more than a smile from me. It’s also
over before it begins. However, for 1984, the animation was
pretty amazing.(1:51)
Luxo Jr. (1986) - Features a couple of desk lamps
playing with a ball. This was probably the inspiration for
the Pixar logo. The point of this short was to showcase the
animation as it lacks any story. The animation however was
pretty good. (2:10)
Red’s Dream(1987) - a lonely unicycle dreams about
performing with a clown. Red’s Dream features some nice
music, however the clown ‘s animation is pretty clunky. The
short is quite sad. (4:13)
Tin Toy(1988) - Tin Toy is one of the better shorts.
This short features a baby chasing after a one-man band toy
(Tinny). The baby looks pretty rudimentary as this is the
fist time a human had been animated. This one is pretty
funny, and the surprise Tinny finds under the couch is
hilarious. The animation of the toys was quite good. (5:10)
Knick Knack (1989) - This one is probably the
funniest short on the DVD. It features a snowman stuck in a
snow globe who is seduced by a pretty girl in a Sunny Miami
knick knack. The expressions on the snowman after each
failed escape attempt are hilarious. The animation here is
first-rate.(3:35)
Geri’s Game (1998) - Features an old man (Geri)
playing chess again himself. Geri switches personalities as
he moves across the table to move the pieces and portrays
his opponent as an evil old man. Here Geri is playing for
more than just his pride. This is a funny short featuring
some slick animation.(4:51)
For the birds (2001) - the 2002 Oscar winner for Best
Animated Short where a bunch of smaller birds taunt and
insult a bigger bird because of his awkward appearance. The
whole thing takes place on a telephone line and the big bird
gets the last laugh. This one is hilarious and nicely
animated. (3:23)
Mike’s New Car (2002) - Features the characters from
Monster‘s Inc (Mike and Sulley). Not as funny as some of the
other ones , but nicely animated, Sulley’s fur looks
awesome(3:48)
Boundin’ (2004) - This one features a life lesson
taught through song and dance. A singing jackalope helps
restore the confidence of a dancing sheep. The animation
here is nicely done.(4:41)
Jack-Jack Attack (2005)- Features the characters from
The Incredible. A hilarious short with Jack and babysitter
Kari. Jack experiments with his superpowers as Kari tires to
keep Jack out of trouble. The animations is as sharp as
ever. ( 4:45)
One Man Band (2006) - Another pretty funny animation
featuring a couple of street musicians battling it out for a
boy’s gold coin. The animation here is pretty spectacular.
(4:32)
Mater And The Ghostlight(2006) - The longest short on
the DVD and a pretty funny one too. Mater goes around
scaring everybody, until the other cars decide to give him a
taste of his own medicine. Nicely animated. After watching
this short, I think I should give the Cars movie a chance.
(7:08)
Lifed (2007) - A hilarious short about an alien
in-training on how to abducted a human. Beautifully
animated.(5:01)
For fans of computer animation this DVD is a must have with
each short featuring a commentary track there is a lot of
information to absorb about the art of computer animation.
VIDEO:
Anamorphic Widescreen 2:39.1/Full Screen 1.33:1
AUDIO:
Dolby
Digital 5.1 Surround - English, Dolby Stereo Spanish French
Subtitles - English Spanish
Franch- Optional
BONUS FEATURES:
The Pixar
Shorts: A Short History - Shows the pioneers of
animation discussing how Pixar came to be. At one point they
says that they were 1% of Pixar‘s budget but 99% of it‘s
visibility. Their ultimate goal was to gear-up for a
complete feature film. (23:33)
The
Sesame Street shorts feature the desk lamp from Luxo Jr.
emphasizing the Sesame Street word.
1. Sesame
Street: Surprise (0:22)
2. Sesame Street: Light and Heavy (1:00)
3. Sesame Street: Up and Down (0:34)
4. Sesame Street: Front and Back (0:42)
RATING BREAK DOWN:
| FILM REVIEW |
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VIDEO |
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AUDIO |
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| BONUS
FEATURES |
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Review
By Brad Peterson
brad@smartcine.com
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People Review Pixar Short Films Volume 1
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Luxo III |
None |
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I dont have this collection nor have I seen it but I have seen all the
shorts but reds dream and andre. knick knack and one man band are
hilarious.Luxo jr. is good. and now Presto is 2nd best to knick knack.
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